No Juice Fest, but Hellwoods and Barn Owl to the rescue
Money is super tight for me right now - as it is for most people this time of year - so I've had to say no to a few things I wanted to do.
Juice Fest, a celebration of everything hoppy, hazy and juicy in the world of beer, was one of those things I wanted to do.
I hope they do it again next year.
The event took place Sunday at the 5 Paddles brew house in Whitby, and the staff were pouring IPAs (and all their friends) from all over the GTA from some of my favourite breweries. Juicy and delicious beer from Collective Arts, Bellwoods, Merit and Rouge River were there. Left Field, Redline and Great Lakes - among others - were also in the house. Durham was well represented as well, with hazy offerings from Manantler, Little Beasts, Town and Old Flame on tap.
And I wasn't there.
I hereby offer Spencer and his crew $20 right now (in case the price goes up) to hold my seat for next year.
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| Hellwoods Russian Imperial Stout from Bellwoods. Hellishly good |
Better check with me before you cash the cheque, though. Just in case.
One place I did make it to was Buster Rhino's. Darryl, our talkative, trendy and talented publican, was releasing a bunch of vintage beers from hibernation and I had to get down to try at least a couple.
Fortunately for me and my budget, my pal Adam was there. Sharing is caring but it also means I can sample more beer and when Jeff sidled up to the bar we got an even better bang for our hard earned bucks.
Hellwoods, a 10 per cent Russian Imperial Stout (2017) from Bellwoods was first up and this brew was declared a winner all round. I picked up loads of licorice on the nose, with molasses, cherry and bits of roast coffee. Some dark fruit - possibly demonic - as well. Hellishly good.
Satan's Broadsword, a 9.9 per cent chili-laced Imperial Stout (also 2017 and also from Bellwoods), didn't fare so well. A bit too spicy for my liking but I soldiered on and finished my glass. Adam, however, decided after a few sips that his beer would be better enjoyed by someone more appreciative.
So he gave it to Candice and Chris sitting at the table behind us, who were only too happy to help out.
My final beer of the night was courtesy of Jeff, who shared his bottle of Madness of Ophelia, a 10 per cent Barley Wine (my first!) from 5 Paddles Brewing.
This was a surprise, with its pink rose-coloured pour and its sourness. Sweetbread and molasses too. Delicious.
All that and good company for $20 plus tip. Bargain.
I enjoyed one more beery surprise even more recently. Today, in fact. As I'm writing this to be precise.
I was in Toronto yesterday visiting my Mom and Dad (it is my Mom's 85th birthday today) and I stopped in at Bellwood's Hafis Road location because it's so damned convenient (seriously, Bellwoods: it's perfect).
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| Barn Owl #10 from Bellwoods |
I opened #10 this evening to help me write this and I am glad I did.
Who knew a Brett IPA could be both funky and refreshing? This was so tart and so refreshing, with tons of sparkling carbonation. It's not technically a Sour, but it was Pineapple meets Sour Key candy. So good.
I have a few other new beers I want to talk about as well, but that will have to wait for another blog.
Depression Sucks. A lot
So I wrote a blog a year ago chronicling my battle with depression. Read it if you want - Depression Sucks - but I thought I should update any readers interested in that sort of thing.
I'd like to say I'm all better but I'm not. I'd like to say I'm making progress, but that wouldn't be true either. I was on a forward-looking path last summer and fall, but I regressed some over the holidays. Christmas blues gets to a lot of people, so I shouldn't be surprised.
But each day is a new opportunity for me to be the best me I can be, so I am still unflinchingly positive about a positive future.
And that's good; it really is. And it's also all I can ask of myself right now.
Onward.
Cheers!
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